Toy



E. G. SCHREYER.

TOY. APPLICATIONTILED 0:013. 1919.

Patented July 18, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J mf f E. G. SCHREYER.

TOY.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I3 I9I9.

Patented July 18, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

a. L u I v r J W PI 4 w I 6 M4 w u 4 H PATT OFFIQE.

ERNEST G. SCI-IREYER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TOY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18, 1922.

Application filed December 13, 1919. Serial No. 344 5 81).

ment in hand operated toys for simulating a race between vehicles drivenby the respective players.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing de scription, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings which form a part of this specification and illustrate thepreferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a section taken approximately on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4c is a fragmentary plan view of one corner of the invention withthe deck removed to expose parts below.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a counter and its casing forming part ofthis invention.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation and Fig.3 atop plan view illustrating theadaptabil ty of the invention as a table.

The invention comprises a box like structure generally indicated at 10and including an imperforate bottom 11, side walls 12 and a deck 13. Thelatter is pierced by a plurality of endless slots 14 each shaped like anelongated race track and paralleling the others. Those portions 15 ofthe deck enclosed by the slots are each supported on a vertical riser 16rigidly fixed along its lower edge to the bottom 11.

At the center end curve ofthe forward end of each slot 14 a verticalspindle 17 has its upper and. lower ends respectively jour nalled in thedeck portion '15 and the bottom. 11, and a similar spindle, 18 isjournalled in like .manner at the rear end ofeach 519314, A sprocketwheel 19 isfixed upon spindle 1,7 and an identical sprocket wheel 21 1sfixed on sp1ndle18, thesesprockets being of such radius as to cause theteeth of each to rotate directlybelow the respective iemtcircularends ofthe slot 14. Applicant as I I his toy containing four'of therace trackslots 14:, but it will be obvious from the further description that, atoy may be built with any number, of, slots desired. A'vertical.

crank shaft 22 is journalledin the bottom 11 and deck 13 neareachspindle 17 and car rles the spindle wheel 23which, by means of achain2et, isconnected to sprocket pinion 25 fixed on spindle 17.Preferably pinion 25 has less teeth than sprocket 23 so that it turnsfaster than the latter. ,An, endless chain 26*connects the sprockets 19and 21,;

and by rotation of a hand crank 27 keyed to shaft 22, the chain 26 andspindle 18 are rotated. By means of brackets 28 upstanding.

stiflly from chain 26, and projecting above the deck through the slot14,a miniature object such as a small automobile 29 depicted in Figs. 1, 2and 3, is fixedwith relation to the chainv and travelsv above the deckportions 13 and 15- through a path defined by the slot 14;. If desiredthe image of a race horse or any other suitable object may besubstituted for the miniature automobile 29. Oppositely positionedstandards 31 and 32 illustrated in Fig. 1 an embodimentbf rise from, thedeck 13. near opposite sides thereof and. on their iii-turned faces, areeach. vertically slotted asat 33 to provide a guideway' for a; block 34.One of these blocks is fixedly connected near each end of a. signal rod35,' and each extremity of the rod is normallyupheld by hearing nponatrigger 36 pivoted, as at 37 within a hollow standard. Pivotal movementof trigger 36 in a. direction outwardly of the deck 13 permits, rod 35to drop into close proximity with the automobile 29 travelling along thedeck; this latter position of the signal rod hem and '3.

Within the structure 10, near and parallelinglthe rear wall thereof aremounted two spaced bearing brackets 38 and 39 which also parallelthedeck 13 just below the latter. Thesebars extend across the ends of allthe slots 14C but are positionedrearwardly of those slots. Spaced backof each spindle'18 is a vertical driving shaft 41 having its upper andlower ends respectively journalled g indicated in dotted lines in Fig s.2

of a pinion 42 on spindle 18 and a meshing gear &3 on the driving shatt,the latter is ro-- tat-ed from the spindle, the pinion being much slowerthan the gear in order to reduce the speed. of the driving shaft withrespect to that of spindle 18. A thrust bar lt traverses the rearportion of structure 10 and is pivotally connected and partiallysupported from bracket 39 by means ottour parallel links respectivelynumbered from 45 to 4-8 inclusive. One of these links is provided foreachslot 14 and its associated mechanism. For each slot let there isprovided in connection with the heretofore described associatedmechanism, a counter shaft 49 driven from the driving shaft 4:1 by meansof a pinion 51 on the driving shaft and a relatively larger gear 52 onthe coun ter shalt. A stud 53 projects upwardly "from gear 52 into thelevel of: the link 45, or 4:6 to 48, as the case may be. @bviously there duction of gear herein described results in a very slow rotation 01"-stud 53 about the couiiter shaft 4-9 with respect to any given rotationof crank shaft 22 and spindle 17.

That end. of thrust bar 4: 1; nearest standard 81 pivoted to the rearend of trigger lever iulcrumed on a pivoted axis 55, the opposite end ofthis le er being positioned to trip the trigger of standard when bar 4stis moved in the direction indicated by arrow 56 in Figs. 1 and 1. Thetrigger in standard 32 is simultaneously tripped by such movement of bar44: through the medium of a similar but shorter trigger lever 57tulcrumed on a pivotal axis 5d and having' its rear end slotted forpivotal engagement at 59 with a reversing lever 61 which is tulcrumed at62 and has its rear end pivoted to bar set. Clockwise rotation of cranks27 produces much slower rotation of studs 53 in the same direction asindicated by arrows 63 in Fig. t, so that one of these studs finallystrikes its link e5, 46, 4:7 or as and swings the link in acounter-clockwise direction about the pivot (i l which connects theforward end of each link with bracket 39. Such movement of any one ofthe links 45--l-8 shifts the bar 4 in the direction of arrow 56, tripstriggers 36, and results in the dropping of signal bar 35. This movementof link a5 is depicted in Fig. 45 by the dotted line position of thatstud 53 associated with link 4L5 and by the dotted center line 65 shownfor that link: the consequent swing of trigger lever 5% is indicated bydotted cen ter line 66 in that figure: and the resulting oscillation oftrigger 36 is indicated by a dotted center line 67 in Fig. Of coursewhen any given stud 53 strikes and moves its associated link, all of thelinks 4:548 swing in synchronism with bar l l.

Each countersha'ft 49 projects above deck 18 and there carries acounting wheel 68 which is marked on its periphery with a zero and theconsecutively arranged digits 1 to 9. A cover 69 encloses each numberwheel and is pierced by a forwardly exposed window 71 through which asingle digit exposed at a time. Preferably the digits are so placed onwheel (38 that i is visible through each window 71 when each stud 5? isin the rear half its circular path and near its link 45, 46, 41-? or4:8, and when all oi? the automobiles 29 are similarly positioned withrelation to their respective race-treek-shaped slots 14..

' in the operation ol the invention. and with the parts all arranged aslast above described, the trigger tripping levers, thrust bar and linksare set as shown in lull lines in Figs. 3 and el, and the signal bar 35is mounted upon the triggers 36 as shown in -lull lines in Fig. 3. Thetoy is designed for operation by several players, one for each crankhandle 26. At a given sign each player grasps his crank handle androtates in a. clockwise direction at his utmost speed, this rotationbeing continued until that stud 53 driven by the most rapid playerstrikes its link and causes the signal bar 35 to drop. The playersimmediately stop turning and the apparatus is again set for play. Bitterevery play each players score, as indicated by the diget appearing inwindows 71, is set down in a separate column and, after a predeterminednumber of plays,v the relative skill of the players is determined by thetotals of these columns. Tl hile the progression of the digits of thevarious players across the windows 71 is not visible to all persons inan audience grouped about the apparatus, the whole audience, and theplayers as well, are advised of the relative progress of the playersduring each play by the travel of the small automobile 29 about theirrespective race tracks.

Figures 7 and 8 illustrate another advan tags of my invention namely itsuse as a. table top. In these figures it will be seen that the box likestructure 10 is inverted to place the imperiorate bottom 11 uppermost.The inverted apparatus is now set in a table frame 72 fitted with theordinary table legs 73. In this position the device may be used in thesame manner as any ordinary table, while, to arrange it for playing,there needs be reversal of the apparatus in the frame 72.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it will be obvious that one skilled in the art may makemodifications thereof without de parting from the spirit of theinvention. wish, therefore, not to be restricted to the preciseembodiment shown, except in so far as the same is limited in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. In a toy, the combination with a suitable t'rame, of a pair of spacedspindles mounted therein, a sprocketfixed on each spindle, an endlesschain connecting said sprockets, a toy image fixed at a given point toeach chain, hand operated elements for ro-' tating said spindles andchain, a rotatable counting wheel, means indicating a point fixed withrelation to said counting wheel, and gearing whereby the counting wheelis rotated from one of said spindles.

2. In a toy, the combination with a suitable frame, of a pair of spacedspindles mounted therein, a sprocket fixed on each spindle, an endlesschain connecting said sprockets, a toy image fixed at a given point toeach chain, hand operated elements for rotating said spindles and chain,a rotatable counting wheel, means indicating a point fixed with relationto said counting wheel and reducing gearing whereby the counting wheelis rotated from one of said spindles.

8. In a toy, the combination with a suitable frame, of a pair of spacedparallel spindles journaled therein, a pair of sprocket wheels of equalradius fixed one to each spindle, an endless chain connectingsaidsprocket wheels, a toy image secured to said chain at a given pointthereon, a crank shaft, multiplying gearing whereby one of said spindlesis driven from the crank shaft, a numbered counting wheel, meansindicating a posit-ion fixed with relation to the numbers carried on thecounting wheel, and reducing gearing whereby said counting wheel isrotated by one of said spindles.

4. In a toy, the combination with a suitable fr'ame, of a plurality ofsets of rotatable hand operated apparatus, each of said sets comprisinga stud travelling in a circular path, a signal tobe operated, andmechanism for operating the signal comprising a thrust bar operativelyconnected to the signal, a plurality of parallel links of equal lengtheach pivoted at its forward endto the frame and at its rear end to saidthrust bar and each positioned with one of its edges forming a chord ofthe circle described by one of said studs.

5. In a toy, the combination with a suitable i'rame, of a pair ofstandards spaced apart upon the frame, said standards being providedwith opposed vertical guideways, a guide-block movable in each guideway,a signal bar extending from one standard to the other and connected tosaid guide-block, atrigger in each standard for supporting the signalbar and guide box in an elevated position, a plurality of sets of handoperated apparatus and mechanism operatively related to each of saidsets and so arranged as to be operable by any one of said sets to tripsaid trigger and permit the signal bar to drop.

6. In a toy, the combination with a frame, of a pair of spaced spindlesmounted there in, a sprocket on each spindle, an endless chainconnecting said sprockets, a toy image connected to said chain, meansfor actuating said chain, a pair of standards, anda signal bar extendingbetween said standards, means for supporting said bar in elevatedposition on said standards, means actuated after a predetermined tr.velof said chain after releasing said signal bar.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

ERNEST G. SGHREYER.

